David Beckham Says Making “Beckham” Documentary Was Therapeutic: 'It Made Me Get Over Certain Things'
Beckham spoke candidly about the "difficult times" he recounted in the series during an event in Los Angeles
David Beckham gained as much as he gave while making his Netflix documentary, Beckham.
During a For Your Consideration screening in Los Angeles on May 4, Beckam, 49, joined director Fisher Stevens, producer John Battsek and editor Michael Harte on a panel moderated by journalist Cari Champion.
Beckham told the room that "being able to talk about" some of the topics "for the first time" in the docuseries "was therapy for me."
"I had a career that lasted 22 years," Beckham began. "And I've gone through a lot of years, and I always spoke about my career and my life. You know, it was like a roller coaster," he continued, adding, "More ups and downs, but in all honesty, it was difficult at times."
While he said that he didn't feel like he necessarily felt "closure" from the project, Beckham shared that it "made me feel better about those moments" and "made me get over certain things," pointing to "leaving Manchester United" and "getting sent off in '98."
"It did make me feel better, and that's why I have to thank these guys," Beckham said of the team behind his documentary.
As Beckham began to explain "the reason" he wanted to participate in the project, he told the audience, "I get emotional when I talk about this."
The father of four then said the docuseries showed him how his family has been "affected" by his life in the public eye.
"The reason I wanted to do the documentary is because I wanted something for my family to have all in one place to celebrate," Beckham said.
"Because my parents, my grandparents, sisters and my friends have been through that, and I hadn't realized how it is it affected them all until I saw the documentary. So that for me, you know, made me feel better in a weird way that they could actually talk about it as well."
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Beckham also shared the sweet reaction his mom had to Beckham.
"Even my mom, after the screening, she came up to me, she said, 'You don't have to feel bad,' and that obviously, made me emotional as well. And then on the way home, my youngest son Cruz turned around to me [and said], 'Dad, I didn't realize you were really good?' "
Related: Every Must-See Photo of the Beckham Family at David's Documentary Premiere in London
During an event in October, shortly after the series premiered, Beckham said the 50 hours of filming over the course of two years for the project was "a hell of a journey."
"It was a series that took me a while to come to terms with filming, and talking about my life," Beckham said at the David Beckham Fragrances Launch Party in New York City. "And ten years ago when I retired from playing soccer people asked me to do it and I wasn't really ready to look back and talk about my career and my life."
He added, "It wasn't easy and it was an emotional rollercoaster over the last two and a half years but I think we’ve produced something that my team can be very proud of."
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